Study trip to Oslo

12-16 February 2018

A delegation of the 4 Hungarian Project partners visited 12 Norwegian organizations selected by the Donor Partner to exchange experiences in order to enter cooperating in the contribution to the ecosystems and female enterprise development. The meetings were all organized by our Donor Partner, the Hungarian-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce.

SHEInvests – Heidi Aven, CEO

Sheinvest supports women with micro businesses to scale to sustainable and

impactful SMEs, because they believe that this is where real and long-term social and economic impact can be made. Their mission is to support female entrepreneurs to scale their businesses and create social and economic impact for communities. Their objective is to be a catalyst for income generation and employment, improve local economies and bridge the gender gap in business and entrepreneurship. Sheinvest has incubator and accelerator programmes, economic empowerment programmes, they organize events and management trainings.

http://sheinvests.no/

Nordic Impact/Expgroup – Anders H. Lier, Executive Chairman

Katapult accelerator was founded by A. H. L. with the aim of making profit but doing good in meantime. He is an impact investor believing that the key drivers of the future will be:

motivated by impact

the global goals

better business better World

http://www.nordicimpact.no/

OsloTech – Thea Martine Aalen Wiig

The Company established in 1984 has been primarily focusing on the development and to support of technological entrepreneurship of Oslo regional center. Most important stakeholders therefore are: University of Oslo, Municipality of Oslo and some business entities of decisive importance (e.g. Norsk Hydro, Pareto, Dyni Nobel, etc.) Their primary activities: providing research and market access aids for smaller ventures. Oslotech has been operating the so-called Forskningspaken (scientific park of next to Oslo University) hosting offices, labs, conference centers of almost 250 companies. Oslotech organizes several technological events, exhibitions and conferences each year ( e.g. Oslo Innovation week, Cutting Age Festival etc. ).

http://www.oslotech.no/

Startuplab: Heidi Hopstock – Community manager

Oslotech founded StartupLab in 2012 as a tehnical umbrella organization for covering and supporting digital developments. There were almost 80 companies embracing by the organization in 2017. StartupLab handles the so-called Founders Fund providing substantial financial funds annually for early stage and first phase development of the companies. Four years ago it started in a basement today it has four levels full of start-up tenants. One of their programs, to host multinational executives for a couple of afternoons a week has become very successful.

Innovation Norway: Siv Isabel

Innovation Norway is the Norwegian Government’s most important instrument for innovation and development of Norwegian enterprises and industry. They support companies in developing their competitive advantage and to enhance innovation. Innovation Norway provides competence, advisory services, promotional and network services. The marketing of Norway as a tourist destination is also considered one of the organizations important task. Innovation Norway is the Norwegian government’s official trade representative abroad. They aim to assist Norwegian business grow and find new markets. They are represented in more than 30 countries worldwide and in all Nordic countries. Innovation Norway had a representative office in Hungary that was closed down. The start-up division helps companies to build networks with investors and consult various forms where investors are looking for potential investments so that the realization of the company’s idea can be established. The connections can provide companies with developing their business capital, expertise or networks and further help to implement great projects that otherwise would not have been realized.

http://www.innovasjonnorge.no/en/

Seed Forum – Steinar Hoel Korsmo, President and CEO

Seed Forum is a global organization with the permission to facilitate access to finance, co-working spaces, accelerators and other programs to boost global innovation.Seed Forum is represented by NGOs and representatives in many countries around the world. Speed Forum is often referred to as the world’s biggest investor network. The vision of the Speed Forum is to create a complete global innovation system for private equity funding of growth start-ups. The Speed Forum Process represents the core activity of the Seed Forum and Seed Forum is also a fast growing player in bilateral projects. By mid-2017 the Seed Forum networks are including members from than 100 countries.

Norban – Truls Bergy, Chairman of the Board

A forum for Norway’s leading business angel actors Membership is reserved for skilled resource persons who invest capital, knowledge, time and network in unlisted businesses (150 members at present)

A non-profit based forum with the purpose of creating increased national attention about the value oriented Norwegian Business Angels. Mr Tuls is interested to establish a closer working relationship with CEEBAN, HunBAN and Women/Business/Angels.They share knowledge, experience and technology-in common best.

NORBAN is a member of EBAN, the European Trade Association for Business Angels, Seed Forum, Seed Funds and other early stage market players. Mr Tuls is interested to establish a closer working relationship with CEEBAN, HunBAN and Women/Business/Angels.

http://www.norban.no/

NHO /The Female Future Program – Kari Minge, Head of the programme

NHO (Norwegian Employers’ Confederation) “is the main representative organisation for Norwegian employers with companies ranging from small family-owned businesses to multi-national companies” with about 600000 people employed in them. It has been addressing the low proportion of woman in the private sector in several ways: through a leadership development program for women ( Female Future) but also through dialogue with company members on how to recruit and retain more women in the private sector. Female is a leadership and boardroom competence development program for the enterprise’s own talent. Female Future is the NHOs effort to recruit more women to senior executive positions and to the boardroom. It is the enterprises that nominate their talents to the program.

Female Future is financed by the NHO, Innovation Norway and by participant fee. The program emphasis is on the leadership development, boardroom competence, rhetoric, network building, personal growth and facilitating greater visibility.

https://www.nho.no/en/

BPW Follo – Anna Valhorsen, President

Follonettverk was established in 1995 and was Norway’s first professional network for female entrepreneurs. On November 2012, the network, as the only one in Norway was accepted as a member of Business and Professional Women International, an international network of female entrepreneurs and professional business women. For that reason, Follo network changed its name to BPW Follo.

BPW Follo works on:

Promotion of female entrepreneurs and leaders

Generation of more business for the members

Provide for cooperation and experience sharing

Motivate young women to become tomorrow’s entrepreneurs and leaders

Provide a mentoring program

BPW Follo has monthly membership meetings with different themes around building your business and your network. It has established a strong relationship with BPW Lithuania. BPW International was established in Geneva in 1930 by Lena Madesin Phillips and currently exists in 95 countries including Sweden, Finland and Norway.

Kvinner i Business (Women in business) – Marit H. Silseth

Kvinner i Business was established in 2011, and consists of the womenin Asker and Baerum Municipality. The network’s purpose is to provide members with inspiration, business opportunities, professional support and expertise to develop in business. The network includes women who run or want to start their own business and female executives in business. The network assists members in, during and after establishing their own activities through activities and their own programmes. The network also wishes to be a natural partner for actors in business, the municipality and others.

http://kvinneribusiness.no/

Vulkan

Vulkan is the name of the former industrial area on the western bank of Akerselva river. Since 2004 the area has been transformed and revitalized by Aspelin Ramm and Anton B Nilsen property developers, based on the plan by LPO architects. The area is a fusion of culture and creative business with schools, hotels, Oslo’s first food market hall, restaurants, bars, residential blocks, offices, shops, plus premises for concerts, dance and sport. This blend of people and activities makes Vulkan one of Oslo’s most vibrant and exciting new areas. Vulkan is a full scale example of sustainable urban development. Built upon the idea of sharing localities, equipment and resources, the area is virtually self- sufficient in energy for heating and cooling. The project has received a number of awards.

Angel Challenge AS – Matthew Smith, Investment programme director

By activating more angel investors, making the investments more visible, and making more start-ups investable, Angel Challenge aims to create a stronger startup scene and lay the stepping stones for new successful entrepreneurial stories from their community. They believe that an active and visible investment community is a vital part of a strong startup ecosystem.

Angel Challenge AS is owned by Startup Norway which has initiated several startup ecosystem projects in Norway and facilitated more than 300 events since their start in 2010. With Angel Challenge they aim is to accelerate investors and startups to help make more startup-investments happen.